1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus performing authentication processing, a method of controlling an information processing apparatus, and a program for controlling an information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printer or an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) adapted to secure printing has conventionally been available. Secure printing refers to a function for having a password set at the time of printing by means of a printer driver and allowing print output as the password is successfully entered through a panel of a printer main body.
This function has increasingly been used, with growing tendency toward enhanced security of information among the general public.
In many cases, however, a user has been required to enter the same password each time he/she performs printing despite the fact that he/she repeatedly uses the same password previously set by means of the printer driver, and it has been very inconvenient.
In particular, many models of printers or MFPs are not provided with a keyboard as hardware and require input through a software keyboard or the like, which resulted in a time-consuming input operation and inconvenience.
In order to solve this problem, as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-335282, an IC card may also be used. Specifically, a scheme has been proposed, in which authentication information is registered in an IC card, the authentication information registered in the IC card is read for personal authentication, and then printing processing is performed.
It has been necessary, however, to provide a printer or an MFP with a function to read an IC card, which led to increase in cost.
Meanwhile, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-228553 proposes as a simplified authentication method, an authentication method for having a user select an image stored in a storage unit (a registered image) from among a plurality of pieces of image information.
On the other hand, for example, always selecting one piece of image information from among a plurality of pieces of image information for secure printing may be insufficient to ensure security.